June 16, 2009

Tire Rolling Resistance Ratings

An interesting attempt to identify and quantify light vehicle tire rolling resistance is underway in California. The Federal government is also working on its own method. In principle this is a good concept but, depending on the rules, I'm sure it could result in a slew of unintended consequences such as gaming of the rules at the expense of safety or durability.

Remember, if you can save a bit on mpg but tire degradation (life) occurs more quickly than perhaps it is not environmentally more sound. These aspects need to be accounted for.